In Veritas, Truly Good Vino (and Dining)

By

Jay McInerney

Dec 29, 2010 11:59 am ET

Veritas, one of the two New York restaurants that took wine lists to a whole insane new level in the oughts, is back, and judging from my first visit I’d say the new incarnation is better than ever. The incredible wine cellar, containing 75,000 bottles and some 3,000 selections, has survived intact, and the new menu is a great foil for the list. The city’s high-rolling wine aficionados were alarmed when Veritas and Cru both shut their doors this summer. It seemed to be a sign of the times, the end of an era when investment bankers thought nothing of dropping a couple grand for a bottle of old Chambertin, or Pomerol. The former Cru space has been taken over by Lotus of Siam, with an interesting, menu-appropriate but much smaller list.

The rumor that Veritas was going down-market, getting made over as a bistro, but in fact, after a visit I have to say that the new menu is at least as interesting as the old one, although (perhaps in deference to leaner times) it’s a la carte rather than prix fixe.

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